quinta-feira, dezembro 06, 2007
China loses temper at Miss Tibet
Tsering Chungtak, Miss Tibet 2006 with Lobsang Wangyal, director Miss Tibet at the press conference in New Delhi. (Photo by Tenzin Dasel/Phayul.com)
Press Club of India, New Delhi, December 5
Miss Tibet 2006 Tsering Chungtak has withdrawn from the Miss Tourism Pageant in Malaysia, after China put pressure on the organisers to bar Tibet from the event.
Tsering Chungtak was asked to either wear a sash labelled Miss Tibet-China, or pull out of the pageant after the Chinese consulate in Kuching in eastern Malaysia pressured the organisers. Chungtak opted to pull out, since the title of "Miss Tibet-China" was not acceptable to her."I felt that this was not acceptable to me at all.
The Tibetan issue is still the same as ever. China is in control of Tibet, and there is no freedom in Tibet. China constantly violates human rights, and threatens the environment in Tibet, causing concern about the very survival of the Tibetan people," Chungtak said after returning from Malaysia.She returned to Delhi on Tuesday, after spending eight days with the other contestants.
Until and unless the Tibetan issue is resolved, fulfilling the wishes of Tibetans for greater freedom in Tibet, such a title is unacceptable to Miss Tibet.Delegates from thirty countries around the world have congregated in Sarawak, a state in eastern Malaysia, for this pageant, which was first started in 2003. The finale will be held on 7 December.The pageant is organised to promote international goodwill and understanding, and to celebrate the diversity of cultures.Alaric Soh, the founder of the pageant, said through email, that he felt saddened about the whole issue. "I wish politics didn't show its face in this pageant."
We feel that such high-handedness by China, interfering even in an event like this, not only reflects its attempt to wipe out any trace of the Tibetan people and their unique culture, but also violates basic human rights, and the aspirations of the young Tibetan women.The Miss Tibet pageant is an event organised to empower young Tibetan women, and to celebrate the evolving contemporary Tibetan culture. The pageant is not aimed at promoting any political agenda.This is all happening at a time when China is gearing up to build a clean image for itself, in its run-up to the Beijing Olympics. Such acts obviously demonstrate the hollowness of Chinese propaganda, and its false promises. These actions are only helping to exacerbate the poor human rights record of the Chinese government.
Until and unless the Tibetan issue is resolved, fulfilling the wishes of Tibetans for greater freedom in Tibet, such a title is unacceptable to Miss Tibet.Delegates from thirty countries around the world have congregated in Sarawak, a state in eastern Malaysia, for this pageant, which was first started in 2003. The finale will be held on 7 December.The pageant is organised to promote international goodwill and understanding, and to celebrate the diversity of cultures.Alaric Soh, the founder of the pageant, said through email, that he felt saddened about the whole issue. "I wish politics didn't show its face in this pageant."
We feel that such high-handedness by China, interfering even in an event like this, not only reflects its attempt to wipe out any trace of the Tibetan people and their unique culture, but also violates basic human rights, and the aspirations of the young Tibetan women.The Miss Tibet pageant is an event organised to empower young Tibetan women, and to celebrate the evolving contemporary Tibetan culture. The pageant is not aimed at promoting any political agenda.This is all happening at a time when China is gearing up to build a clean image for itself, in its run-up to the Beijing Olympics. Such acts obviously demonstrate the hollowness of Chinese propaganda, and its false promises. These actions are only helping to exacerbate the poor human rights record of the Chinese government.
We believe that the Tibetan people have the right to determine their own cultural identity. Not only do we condemn China's attitude, we hope that such things will never be repeated in the future.
